Setting up political ads on Facebook and Instagram: from verification to campaign launch

Setting up political ads on Meta (on Facebook and Instagram) requires significantly more preparation than launching a standard ad campaign. The advertiser must undergo verification, set up Business Manager, ad accounts, access permissions, political ad authorization, and most importantly, confirm the funding source. During the height of an election campaign, this source can only be one — party campaign funds. Or perhaps more than one… We break this down in detail below.

It is also important to note that the Meta Ad Library contains additional information about ads related to social issues, elections, and politics, including spend amounts for each campaign, audience reach details, and the organizations that launched them. Information about such ads is stored in the Library for 7 years and is publicly accessible. Although Meta restricted displaying advertiser names following Russia's full-scale invasion, grouping everyone under the general term "Advertiser from Ukraine," advertiser names will be restored after the war ends — ahead of the next elections in Ukraine.

With over 10 years of experience in political communications and advertising across election campaigns from local to national levels, Mas Agency has developed proven mechanisms and trained specialists who provide end-to-end setup of political advertising on Facebook and Instagram — from preparing personal profiles and Business Manager to advertiser company verification, undergoing required authorization, creating ad accounts, connecting pages, configuring payment methods, roles, and permissions, as well as preparing the entire infrastructure for launching ad campaigns.

Proper system architecture is especially vital during election campaigns, where any technical error, data mismatch, or authorization failure can impact not only the launch of an individual ad, but the operation of the entire campaign branch — or even lead to the disqualification of a candidate or party from the election.

1. Personal Profile Preparation and Advertiser Authorization

The first stage of work is preparing the personal profile through which the advertising infrastructure is managed. It is the user profile that serves as one of the key access control elements for Business Manager, ad accounts, and other assets.

Before starting, it is necessary to check the accuracy of personal details, email address, and phone number, as well as enable two-factor authentication. For political advertising, an additional advertiser authorization and identity verification procedure according to Meta's requirements must be completed.

During the verification process, official documents and other data required by the platform to verify identity may be used. It is essential that information across the personal profile, Business Manager, ad account, and documents remains consistent and free of contradictions.

At this stage, Mas Agency assists in properly preparing the profile, verifying its compliance with Meta's requirements, and completing the necessary authorization procedures without unnecessary delays.

2. Advertiser Identity Verification

The next step is advertiser identity verification. This is one of the most critical procedures, as it is at this stage that Meta verifies the information about the individual or organization receiving permission to run political ads.

It is important to properly prepare documents, verify personal data consistency, and complete all steps prompted by the system. Data must be fully aligned: name, documents, country, contact details, and other information used during the check.

Mas Agency accompanies this process, helping to navigate verification correctly and avoid common mistakes that could lead to rejection or the need for re-inspection.

3. Business Manager Creation and Setup

Following profile preparation, the primary business structure in Meta is established — Business Manager.

Business Manager enables centralized management of Pages, ad accounts, Instagram profiles, users, partners, pixels, and other digital assets.

For a political campaign, building this structure correctly right from the start is paramount. Improper allocation of assets or permissions later on can complicate team workflows and create hurdles during campaign launches or scaling.

4. Business Settings: People, Roles, and Access Permissions

A core element of any ad infrastructure is its access management system.

In Business Settings, team members working on ad campaigns are assigned specific roles and access levels. Access permissions can also be configured separately for partners, agencies, advertisers, analysts, and other stakeholders.

We allocate permissions so that administrators have full operational control over the system, advertisers have the capability to launch campaigns, and analysts gain access to required metrics without excessive administrative rights.

This method significantly increases infrastructure security and ensures digital assets remain protected and controlled, even during team turnover.

5. Connecting Facebook, Instagram, and Other Digital Assets

The next phase involves integrating all digital assets to be used in the ad campaign.

Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts, domains, Meta Pixel, Conversions API, and other necessary tools are linked into Business Manager.

Crucially, assets must not only be added to the system, but correctly interconnected. Pages must be assigned to the designated Business Manager, Instagram profiles properly linked, domains verified, and analytics tools seamlessly integrated with the website.

Mas Agency audits the entire architecture and tests component interactions well before launching any live ad campaigns.

6. Ad Account Configuration

Once Business Manager is created and configured, the ad account itself must be properly set up.

During creation, settings such as name, currency, time zone, and other parameters are specified. Next, responsible team members are assigned to the account, assets are linked, and payment methods are established.

For political campaigns, a structured account structure is recommended to segment campaigns by region, topic, or operational task, ensuring transparent budget control.

We pay special attention to account status, spending limits (which are quite low for new accounts — up to $50 per day), payment methods, and user access levels. All key settings are thoroughly audited prior to launch.

7. Political Ad Authorization and Disclaimers

After technical infrastructure setup, authorization to run ads about social issues, elections, or politics must be granted in accordance with Meta's guidelines.

It is important not to confuse standard ad moderation with political advertiser authorization. For political campaigns, Meta applies enhanced review mechanisms to ensure transparency and verify funding sources.

A key requirement is the "Paid for by" disclaimer used to identify the advertiser. The information listed must match the verified authorization details. However, as noted earlier, since March 2022 Meta has restricted displaying specific advertiser names in Ukraine for security reasons under the unified label "Advertiser from Ukraine." Post-war, original advertiser names will be restored and archived in the Ad Library for 7 years.

Mas Agency guides clients through this authorization setup and verifies that advertiser information displays correctly across ad units and the Meta Ad Library.

8. Creating and Launching Political Ad Campaigns

With infrastructure fully prepared, campaign creation can begin.

At this stage, campaigns, ad sets, target audiences, budgets, placements, and creative assets are configured. Every component undergoes verification for Meta compliance prior to going live.

For political ads, equal focus must be placed on both technical settings and creative content, copy accuracy, labeling, and advertiser details.

Post-launch, we continuously monitor ad statuses, moderation checks, spend pacing, and potential account limits.

9. Political Ads During Elections: Funding and Transparency

Proper Meta setup takes on crucial importance during active election campaigns.

In an election period, advertising transitions from a simple communication channel into a component of a much more complex political communication and financial reporting framework. Therefore, it is critical to determine well in advance which entity or individual serves as the advertiser, what data will be submitted for authorization, and how advertiser information will be displayed within Meta's ecosystem.

Funding sources require meticulous attention. Details regarding the advertiser, payment method, organization, or individual placing the ad must align perfectly with authorization records. An official contract must be executed with the entity, and funds must be disbursed directly from the political party's official campaign fund.

This is vital in Ukraine, where political and electoral advertising must comply with domestic legal requirements covering campaign financing, reporting, transparency, and election participant liability.

For this reason, we strongly advise setting up advertising infrastructure well before the active campaign phase begins. Early preparation allows sufficient time to clear verifications, test ad accounts, and address potential issues proactively.

10. Pre-Launch Final Audit and Checklist

Prior to campaign launch, Mas Agency conducts a comprehensive audit of the entire ad setup.

We review advertiser verification status, two-factor authentication, Business Manager configurations, ad accounts, access permissions, linked Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts, payment methods, domains, Pixel, and analytics tool integrations.

Additionally, we audit ad creatives against Meta policies, verify political labeling accuracy, audience targeting, budget allocations, and overall moderation readiness.

This final checklist guarantees that every component functions seamlessly together before going live.

Mas Agency's Comprehensive Approach

Setting up political advertising on Meta is not a standalone technical task, but an end-to-end process involving verification, security, business structure setup, asset management, ad account configuration, political ad authorization, disclaimers, financial transparency, and moderation management.

Mas Agency provides end-to-end guidance throughout this process: from personal profile preparation and verification to final system audits and live campaign launches.

Having a fully configured infrastructure well ahead of election periods is essential. Timely setup allows teams to undergo review procedures stress-free, verify connections between digital assets, establish robust access controls, and eliminate technical risks before campaigns need to run at full capacity.

As a result, clients receive a structured, secure, and scalable Meta advertising ecosystem capable of driving effective political and civic awareness campaigns while remaining fully compliant with platform policies and legal regulations governing elections.